Auxerre have turned to Will Still to lead them into their next Ligue 1 campaign, giving the 33-year-old a two-year contract until 2028 with one additional year in option. The appointment ends Christophe Pélissier’s spell in charge a year before the end of his deal, even though he had kept the club in the division.

Still arrives with a profile that has made him one of the more watched young coaches in French football. He has never played professionally, began on the touchline in Belgium with Lierse and Beerschot, then moved to France, first as Oscar Garcia’s assistant at Reims in 2021 before taking over in October 2022. He led Reims to 11th place in Ligue 1 in his first season and 9th the next, then took RC Lens to an eighth-place finish after being hired in June 2024, before a brief spell at Southampton ended after the 13th matchday.

He now returns to a league he knows well, and he does so after saying he had taken time to understand what Auxerre means to the city, with its history, its crowd and the Abbé-Deschamps stadium all part of the appeal. He also signaled the kind of football he wants to impose quickly, saying he does not want his team waiting deep and watching others play, but pressing opponents instead.

The move comes against a charged backdrop. Auxerre spent much of the season near the relegation zone before climbing clear late, finishing 15th after beating Nice 2-1 and Lille 2-0 in the run-in and securing survival on the penultimate matchday. That escape did not protect Pélissier, and the decision to remove him has angered a section of supporters who backed him through the season and pointed their frustration at sporting director David Wantier. Protests followed in town, around the stadium and on social media.

Auxerre’s ownership adds another layer to the picture, with Chinese billionaire James Zhou presiding over a club in the middle of what he has described as a period of transition in a professional game that is increasingly competitive. Still begins work as that transition enters a new phase, and the first test will be whether he can calm the noise around the club as quickly as he has been asked to change its direction.